Centrifugal apparatus



June 20, 1933.. F. l. WILLIAMS 1,914,764

CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS Filed June 26, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet #2 k Q o 2; J6 a J6 J2 6 R 26 S 26' S .55 if a w a I h as N I as 3f 35/ I & g;

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June 20, 1933. L WMA'MS 1,914,764

CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS Filed Ju ne 26, 1931 s Sheets-Sheet s Amara,

30 zontally arranged to Patented June 20, 1933 UNETED starts PATENT oFrieE FRANK I. "WILLIA'MS, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO AIv'lERICAIl' TOOL AND IvIACl-EINE COMPANY, OF HYDE EARK, lv'IASSAOHUSETTS, A

I/IASSACH'USETTS CORPORATION OF CENTEIFUGAL APPARATUS Application filed June 26,

and escape at or near the upper rim of the basket. Such baskets are driven at high speed and often contain a body of fluid material of very considerable weight. So long as the basket and its contents rotate uniformly about the axis of symmetry of the basket, comparatively little lateral force is developed at the bearings, but it is observed that very slight causes, even small vibrations, will set up a wave in the fluid material and that this wave will quickly build up into a surge of such proportions as to throw the load wholly oif center producing powerful lateral forces of dangerous proportions. This fact has long been recognized and many attempts have been made to overcome it by placing obstructions, usually in the form of baffles or vanes, in the basket. Such baflles have been either vertically arranged to prevent the rotation only of the liquid, or horiprevent solely the axial movement thereof. After the centrifugal treatment has been completed the sediment or heavier particles remaining in the basket must be removed, and such removal is facilitated by the vertical arrangement of the baffles and rendered more difficult by the hori-. zontal arrangement thereof.

The prin'iary object of this invention is to provide a basket having baffles therein which 0 give the desirable features of both above mentioned types of battles, and at the same time avoid the obj ectionable features thereof. Such baffles are inclined and preferably terminate in vertically extending portions whereby both the rotative and axial movements of the liquid are dampened and yet the basket can be easily unloaded either by hand tool or pressure hose. Furthermore, the incoming material is forced to travel to some 0 extent circumferentially and prevented from 1931. Serial 1T0. 5 573342.

taking a direct axial course, so that the duration of the mixing or displacement action is increased and the retention of the liquid in the basket for a maximum length of time and the consequent maximum clarification thereof is insured.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details and functions set forth more fully in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away of one form of apparatus embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on a large scale of a basket embodying this invention;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof upon a smaller scale with a portion of the top wall broken away;

Fig. .l is a bottom plan view of the central portion of the basket;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic developed view of the basket wall illustrating the relative relation of the various baliies; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation illustrating the employment of a basxetembodying this invention in another form of apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the basket 10 is enclosed within a stationary curb or casing 11 having a top wall 12 and a bottom wall 13. The wall 12 is partially surrounded by a guard lip 14 and has a central opening 15 therein. The wall 13 includes a central tube 16 surrounded by an inclined ring 17 and a drain outlet 18 at approximately the lowest point of the ring. The basket 10 is supported upon a spindle 2O depending'from and rotated by an electric motor 21 here shown supported upon cross beams 22 and having an operating lever 23. v

The basket 10 (see Fig. 2) comprises a cylindrical'wall 25 which may or may not be perforated, and which is reinforced by bands 26,an inclined top wall 27 and a horizontal bottom wall 28. The top wall 27 is preferably a ring having outwardly projecting flanges 30 and 31 at the peripheries thereof, the flange 31 defining a central opening 32 through which the spindle 20 enters the basket. The bottom wall 28 is also annular, provided with outwardly projecting peripheral flanges 35 and 36, the latter defining a central opening 37. Projecting into the opening from the inner flange 36 are radially arranged spokes 38 connected by a ring 39 on which the spindle 20 rests and to which it is secured by bolts 40. The opening 37 may or may not be closed by a removable annular disk 41 which rests upon the wall 28, and loosely surrounds the spindle 20, and carries a ring 42, upwardly and inwardly curved and provided with a plurality of holes 43 therein.

Secured to the inner face of the Wall 25 are a plurality of baflles or vanes 50 which define a plurality of compartments open at the illner face. Each vane comprises a central inclined section 51 and end sections 52 and 53, here shown as in vertical planes, terminat ing in flanges 54 and 55, respectively. The baflles are secured to the top ring 27 and bottom wall 28 by rivets or other suitable fastening means passed through the flanges 5 and 55. Each baffle 50 overlaps the adjacent baffle by a substantial amount in the vertical plane. This is clearly indicated on Fig. 5. WVhile the baflies need not have a close con tact with the wall 25 there are provided pressure equalizing openings or ports 56 at the top of the baflies to equalize the pressure in the "arious compartments defined thereby. The inclination of the central portion 51 may be either in the direction of rotation of the basket or against such rotation preferably though not necessarily the first. The baffles 50 extend inwardly beyondthe flange 31 for a purpose which will be set forth in the following description of the operation of the machine.

The material to be treated is introduced into the basket 10 by any suitable means at the bottom usually after the basket has been set in motion. The material in the basket is forced by this rotation into the various compartments defined bv the baflies 50, and moves upwardly therein at an angle to the direction of rotation so that the compartments are filled with bodies of the fluid material. The sediment or heavier particles of the, mass are thrown to the wall of the basket in the usual manner, and the liquid and lighter particles rise through the opening 32 above the flange 31 and are thrown tangentially against the side wall of the curb 11 and pass out through the drain 0utlet 18.

The inner walls of the material in the compartments are obviously defined by the edge of the opening 32 and since the baffles 50 terminate inwardly of such edge, they prevent any free rotative and axial movements of the material, and insure that all the material shall travel upwardly through the compartments. The baffles may be arranged at any desired inclination which will be determined by the speed of rotation of the basket and the length of time the material should remain in the basket to insure proper treatment. The inclination, however, should in each case be such that the upper end of each baffle overlaps vertically the lower end of the adjacent baflle to avoid possibility of any free axial movement of the material through the compartments. The sediment or heavier particles which remain in the compartments may be easily removed by hand tools or a pressure hose and discharged from the basket through the opening 37, the disk 41, if used, having been first raised.

The apparatus shown in F 6 diflcrs from that shown in Fig. 1 in that the spindle 20 supports the basket 10 from below being driven by a belt 60 from any suitable source of power (not shown). The basket 10 within the curb or casing 11 corresponds in every respect to the basket 10 previously described, and the end of the spindle 20 is secured to the ring 39 by bolts 40.

Briefly stated, the advantages derived from the present improvements may be summed up as follows: First, complete elimination of waves and surges, thus stabilizing the apparatus and eliminating dangerous stresses from unbalanced loads; second, reduction or elimination oi swirl, that is, tendency of the liquid to rotate at a different speed from the basket; third, the restriction of flow in the basket so that the incoming liquid is prevented from assuming a purely axial flow; the liquid being forced to travel to some extent circumfcrentially; and thus the mixing or displacement action is increased and the liquid remains in the basket for a sufficient time to insure maximum clarification; and fourth, the discharge of the solids is facilitated.

These advantages are derived from the provision in the basket of a plurality of baffles which define compartments inclined at an angle to the direction of rotation of the basket in the manner above described, but while one specific embodiment thereof has been disclosed, I am not limited thereto since other embodiment may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a centrifugal apparatus, a rotatable basket having top and bottom walls, the top wall having a central opening therein and baflies projecting inwardly from the inner face of the basket wall to define compartments inclined at an angle to the direction of rotation of the basket, each baille having an inclined central section and vertical end sections.

2. In a centrifugal apparatus, a rotatable basket having top and bottom walls, the top wall having a central opening therein and bafiies projecting inwardly from the inner face of the basket wall to define compartments inclined at an angle to the direction of rotation of the basket, each baflie having an inclined central section and vertical end sections, said end sections being so secured to the top and bottom walls of the basket. that the upper end of each baflie overlaps vertically the lower end of an adjacent bafiie.

3. In a centrifugal apparatus, a rotatable basket having top and bottom walls, the top wall having a central opening therein and bafiies projecting inwardly from the inner face of the basket wall to define compartments inclined at an angle to the direction of rotation of the basket, each baffle having an inclined central section and vertical end sections, said end sections being so secured to the top and bottom walls of the basket that the upper end of each baffle overlaps vertically the lower end of an adjacent baffle, and the upper end of the baffles extending vertically and projecting inwardly beyond the edge of the central opening.

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising a rotatable basket having top and bottom walls, the top wall having a central opening therein and battles projecting inwardly from the inner face of the basket wall and defining compartments inclined at an angle to the direction of rotation of the basket, said bafiles having inclined central sections and vertical upper end sections having pressure equalizing openings providing a communication between the various compartments, said baflles being so disposed that the upper end of each baflie overlaps vertically the lower end of the adjacent baffle, said vertical upper end sections projecting inwardly beyond the edge of the central openmg.

5. Centrifugal apparatus comprising a fixed curb having a discharge opening at the bottom, a centrifugal basket rotatably mounted within the curb, means for rotating the basket, the basket having a bottom provided with a discharge opening for solid material, and a plurality of like baffles projecting inwardly from the wall of the basket, each baffle comprising a substantially vertical lower portion thereby to facilitate discharge of solids downwardly from between adjacent baffles, and each baffle comprising an inclined portion arranged to damp both rotative and axial movements of the contents of the basket.

6. Centrifugal apparatus comprising a fixed curb having a discharge opening at the bottom, a centrifugal basket rotatably mounted within the curb, means for rotating the basket, the basket having a bottom provided with a discharge opening for solid material, and an axial opening at its top for discharge of liquid, and a plurality of baffle members fixedly secured to the basket in circumferentially spaced relation, each baflle having a substantially vertical lower portion thereby to facilitate downward discharge of solids from between adjacent balfies, each baffle also having a substantially vertical upper portion to prevent helical motion of the fluid discharging from the top opening, said upper and lower vertical portions of each bafile being offset circumferentially, and each bafile having a central portion uniting the top and bottom portions and so inclined as to damp both rotative and axial movement of the contents of the basket.

7. Centrifugal apparatus comprising a fixed curb having a discharge opening at the bottom, a centrifugal basket rotatably mounted within the curb, means for rotating the basket, the basket having a bottom pro vided with a discharge opening for solid material, the basket having an annular top provided with an axial discharge opening for fluid, a series of circumferentially spaced like baffles within the basket, each bafiie hav ing vertical top and bottom portions fixedly attached respectively to the top and bottom members of the basket, the vertical portions of each baffle being ofi'set circumferentially and being connected by an inclined portion so arranged as to damp both rotative and radial movement of the contents of the basket, each bathe being of such width as to extend inwardly beyond the edge of the axial opening in the top of the basket whereby all of the material within the basket is kept within the field of action of the baflles.

Signed by me at Hyde Park, Mass, this 20 day of June 1931.

FRANK I. WVILLIAMS. 

